Hi!

Your heart will go nuts for peanuts!

Peanuts are rich in energy (567 calories per 100 g) and contain health benefiting nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for the health. The peanut kernels are good source of  protein; compose fine quality amino acids that are essential for growth and development.
The nuts are rich source of minerals like copper, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.
The kernels are an excellent source of vitamin E; containing about 8 g per 100 g. Vitamin E helps maintain the integrity of cell membrane of mucus membranes and skin.
The nuts are packed with many important B-complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, and folates. 100 g of peanuts provide about 85% of RDI of niacin, which contribute to brain health and blood flow to brain.

Additionally, research studies have shown that peanuts contain high concentrations of poly-phenolic antioxidants, primarily p-coumaric acid. This compound reduce the risk of stomach cancer.

Not only that, Peanuts are an excellent source of resveratrol, another polyphenolic antioxidant. Resveratrol has been found to have protective function against cancers, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, Alzheimer's disease, and viral/fungal infections.

This picture shows the nutrient parts in raw peanuts and the DRI/DV (Dietary Reference Intakes/Daily Value)

As you can see in the picture, just a handful of peanuts per day provides enough recommended levels of phenolic anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins, and protein.

And as promised, to make this blog a bit more fun after all these important massages above, below you will find two lovely recipes!

1. homemade peanut butter

2. ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

Hello!

As mentioned before I will tell you about growing and harvesting peanuts. 

The picture below shows that peanuts grow under the ground. This makes the peanut a very special plant. People often are surprised to find out that peanuts are not nuts but instead are actually seeds from a leguminous plant related to peas and beans. Almost all peanuts have two nuts in one shell

The short film below (2 min.) will show and explain you how peanuts grow and how the peanuts are harvest. From planting to harvesting, the growing cycle takes four to five months, depending on the type or variety. (There are 4 different varieties, I talked about them in my previous blog.)

As mentioned in the movie, farmers harvest the peanuts in the fall. The peanuts are pulled from the ground by a peanutdigger which is a special machinery and turned over to dry in the fields for 2 or 3 days. The combine machines then separate the peanuts from the vines and put them in a drying trailer.  The peanuts are then taken to be sold at nearby peanut buying stations.
At the shelling company buying station, peanuts are sampled and graded to determine their value. The inspectors establish the meat content, size of pods, kernel size, moisture content, damaged kernels and foreign material. The results of the inspection determine the overall quality and value of each load.The peanuts are placed in dry storage for eventual sale to processors and manufacturers. Peanuts are taken from storage and cleaned; dirt, rocks, bits of vines are removed. If they are to be sold in their shells, the peanuts may also pass through a machine that cuts off any remaining stems on the shells.
After all these processes the decision is made what happends to the peanuts; peanut butter, sold in shell, sold without shell. What the choice will be influence the next processing steps. For butter and the peanuts that are sold without shell this means that the shell has to be removed and the nuts in the shell needs to be cleaned. 

Next time I will tell you if peanuts are good for you and add some delicious recipes! 

Hi!

In this blog I will tell you about the states who grow peanuts in the USA and the different types. 

Seven states account for approximately 99% of all peanuts grown in the U.S. Georgia (41%) grows the major proportion of all peanuts followed by Texas (24%), Alabama (10%), North Carolina (9%), Florida (6%), Virginia (5%), and Oklahoma (5%). There are approximately 25,000 peanut farmers in the major producing regions.

There are four types of different peanuts; Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia. The four types differ in size and flavor. 

Virginia: 
Virginias account for most of the peanuts roasted and eaten as inshells. When shelled, the larger kernels are sold as salted peanuts. Virginias are grown mainly in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina and West Texas. Virginia-type peanuts account for about 15% of total U.S. production.
Runner:
Runners have become the dominant peanut type grown in the U.S. Runners have gained wide acceptance because of their attractive kernel size range; a high proportion of runners are used for peanut butter. Runners, grown mainly in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma, account for 80% of total U.S. production.
Valencia:
Valencias usually have three or more small kernels to a pod. They are very sweet peanuts and are usually roasted and sold in the shell. Because of the greater demand for other varieties, Valencias account for less than 1% of U.S. production and are grown mainly in New Mexico.
Spanish:
Spanish-type peanuts have smaller kernels covered with a reddish-brown skin. They are used predominantly in peanut candy and are used for salted nuts and peanut butter. They have higher oil content than the other types of peanuts which is advantageous when crushing for oil. They are grown in Oklahoma and Texas. Spanish-type peanuts account for 4% of U.S. production.

If you would like to taste the different varieties; you can buy all the peanuts in supermarkets, organic markets or just in a nut shop! Enjoy!